INTRODUCTION TO ISAIAH CHAPTER 6

In 759 B.C. Isaiah saw the LORD sitting upon his throne seraphim’s were hovering above him they were singing a song about our HOLY GOD. It was an awesome scene the foundations of the temple shook and smoke filled the temple. Isaiah was terror stricken and thought it was dooms day for him─he reflects on the dirty mouth that he had but God sent a seraphim with a hot coal and touched his lips and God spoke the word of forgiveness. When God calls you to service he can clean your dirty mouth. God was looking for someone to go into the cities and villages with his message. Isaiah said, “here I am send me” he wants to know how long it will take and the Lord’s reply was till every city is emptied, every house deserted, they will all go to a prison camp and serve a life sentence. However, the tree will be cut down but it will sprout up again. All the details are awaiting you in the exposition.

EXPOSITION TO ISAIAH CHAPTER 6

1In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the LORD sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.

Uzziah (792-740) He reigned 52 years and died at the age of 68. He was a leper for 10 years. This vision occurred in B.C. 759

Josephus Book 9:Ch.10.Art.4 “While Uzziah was in this state, and making preparation [for futurity], he was corrupted in his mind by pride, and became insolent, and this on account of that abundance which he had of things that will soon perish, and despised that power which is of eternal duration (which consisted in piety towards God, and in the observation of the laws); so he fell by occasion of the good success of his affairs, and was carried headlong into those sins of his father, which the splendor of that prosperity he enjoyed, and the glorious actions he had done, led him into, while he was not able to govern himself well about them. Accordingly, when a remarkable day was come, and a general festival was to be celebrated, he put on the holy garment, and went into the temple to offer incense to God upon the golden altar, which he was prohibited to do by Azariah the high priest, who had fourscore priests with him, and who told him that it was not lawful for him to offer sacrifice, and that “none besides the posterity of Aaron were permitted so to do.” And when they cried out that he must go out of the temple, and not transgress against God, he was wroth at them, and threatened to kill them, unless they would hold their peace. In the mean time a great earthquake shook the ground and a rent was made in the temple, and the bright rays of the sun shone through it, and fell upon the king’s face, insomuch that the leprosy seized upon him immediately. And before the city, at a place called Eroge, half the mountain broke off from the rest on the west, and rolled itself four furlongs, and stood still at the east mountain, till the roads, as well as the king’s gardens, were spoiled by the obstruction. Now, as soon as the priests saw that the king’s face was infected with the leprosy, they told him of the calamity he was under, and commanded that he should go out of the city as a polluted person. Hereupon he was so confounded at the sad distemper, and sensible that he was not at liberty to contradict, that he did as he was commanded, and underwent this miserable and terrible punishment for an intention beyond what befitted a man to have, and for that impiety against God which was implied therein. So he abode out of the city for some time, and lived a private life, while his son Jotham took the government; after which he died with grief and anxiety at what had happened to him, when he had lived sixty-eight years, and reigned of them fifty-two; and was buried by himself in his own gardens.”

According to John 12:41 Isaiah saw Jesus in this vision. In this vision he sees Jesus sitting upon his throne. The train of his robe was spread out over the floor of the temple.

CROSS REFERENCE SCRIPTURES

THAT MAKE THE CASE:

Eze 1:26-28 And above the firmament that was over their heads was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone: and upon the likeness of the throne was the likeness as the appearance of a man above upon it. And I saw as the colour of amber, as the appearance of fire round about within it, from the appearance of his loins even upward, and from the appearance of his loins even downward, I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and it had brightness round about. As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face, and I heard a voice of one that spake. Read: 2Ch 26:22-23; Exo 24:10-11;Joh 1:18;Joh 12:41; 1Ki 22:19; Eze 10:1; Dan 7:9-10; Mat 25:31; Rev 4:2; Rev 4:10; Rev 5:1; Rev 5:7; Rev 6:16;Rev 7:15; 1Ki 8:10-11;Rev 15:8

2Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.

Angelic beings were hovering above him they each had six wings and with two of these wings they veiled the face of God so that Isaiah could not see his face and two wings covered his feet and the other two wings kept them poised in flight.

CROSS REFERENCE SCRIPTURES

THAT MAKE THE CASE:

1Ki 22:19 And he said, Hear thou therefore the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing by him on his right hand and on his left. Read: Dan 7:10; Zec 3:4; Rev 7:11; Exo 25:20; 1Ki 8:7; Eze 10:21; Dan 9:21; Rev 14:6

3And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.

They were calling back and forth to one another. Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty his majestic splendor fills the whole earth.

CROSS REFERENCE SCRIPTURES

THAT INDORSE THE TEXT:

Rev 4:8-9 And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come. And when those beasts give glory and honour and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever, Read: Num 14:21;Psa 57:11; Psa 72:19

4And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke.

The voice of the seraphim’s singing shook the posts of the temple door the entire temple was shook to it foundation and suddenly the temple is filled with smoke.

CROSS REFERENCE SCRIPTURES THAT

LEND EVIDENCE TO THE TEXT:

2Ch 5:13-14 It came even to pass, as the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the LORD; and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of musick, and praised the LORD, saying, For he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever: that then the house was filled with a cloud, even the house of the LORD; So that the priests could not stand to minister by reason of the cloud: for the glory of the LORD had filled the house of God. Read: 1Ki 8:10-12;Exo 40:34; Eze 10:5; Eze 1:24; 2Ch 6:1; Rev 15:8

5Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.

Isaiah was dismayed─he thought that he was doomed─he seen himself as finished. He thought of himself as a foul-mouthed sinner in the midst of a foul mouth people. In this vision he has seen the Lord of Heaven in his splendor and knows that no one sees God and lives to tell about it.

CROSS REFERENCE SCRIPTURES

THAT DEMONSTRATE THE TEXT:

Exo 33:20 And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.

Jdg 13:22 And Manoah said unto his wife, We shall surely die, because we have seen God. Read: Deu 5:26;Dan 10:6-8;Rev 1:16;

6Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar:

One of the seraphim’s takes a red hot glowing coal from the altar with a pair of tongs and fly’s over to where Isaiah is standing.

CROSS REFERENCE SCRIPTURES

THAT AUTHENTICATE THE TEXT:

Dan 9:21 Yea, whiles I was speaking in prayer, even the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, touched me about the time of the evening oblation.

Eze 10:2 And he spake unto the man clothed with linen, and said, Go in between the wheels, even under the cherub, and fill thine hand with coals of fire from between the cherubims, and scatter them over the city. And he went in in my sight. Read: Rev 8:3-5; Lev 16:12

7And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.

The seraphim touched Isaiah’s lips with the glowing hot coal and said your iniquity is now removed and your sins are forgiven.

CROSS REFERENCE SCRIPTURES THAT

ESTABLISH THE CERTAINTY OF THE TEXT:

Jer 1:9 Then the LORD put forth his hand, and touched my mouth. And the LORD said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth.

Dan 10:16 And, behold, one like the similitude of the sons of men touched my lips: then I opened my mouth, and spake, and said unto him that stood before me, O my lord, by the vision my sorrows are turned upon me, and I have retained no strength. Read: Isa 43:25;Mic 7:18-19;Mat 9:

8Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.

Act 28:25-28 And when they agreed not among themselves, they departed, after that Paul had spoken one word, Well spake the Holy Ghost by Esaias the prophet unto our fathers, Saying, Go unto this people, and say, Hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and not perceive: For the heart of this people is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed; lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them. Be it known therefore unto you, that the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles, and that they will hear it. Read: Exo 4:10-13; Act 26:16-17

9And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not.

This newly awakened and fully pardoned messenger is now commissioned to go on an errand to a people who will listen but never see the connection they will hear but never get the point. They will see demonstrations and illustrations of God at work, over and over again but just don’t catch on. Isaiah will be preaching to a group of people who have a dehydrated heart.

CROSS REFERENCE SCRIPTURES

THAT ATTEST TO THE TEXT:

Mar 4:11-12 And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables: That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them.

Rom 11:8 (According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear;) unto this day. Read: Isa 30:8-11;

10Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed.

Isaiah will make their hearts unreceptive and sluggish, their ears will be sealed and their eyes glued shut. With their wits dulled and their ears deafened and their eyelids pasted shut and their heart unreceptive there is no chance of them responding and being converted. Isaiah is like a doctor who lances a wound and it only gets worse or amputating a leg that will not heal. Now he is told that he is a messenger of judgment, an instrument in God’s hands to bring a wicked nation into a state of “non-compliance.”

11Then said I, Lord, how long? And he answered, Until the cities be wasted without inhabitant, and the houses without man, and the land be utterly desolate,

How long will it be before they will listen? God tells Isaiah that these people are not going to change till every city is destroyed and no one living in their houses and their gardens and farms turned into an animal sanctuary.

12And the LORD have removed men far away, and there be a great forsaking in the midst of the land.

The land will be abandoned, and the Eternal has banished the people, and they are slaves in a far away country.

CROSS REFERENCE SCRIPTURES THAT

BEAR OUT THE TEXT:

2Ki 25:21 And the king of Babylon smote them, and slew them at Riblah in the land of Hamath. So Judah was carried away out of their land. Read: Jer 15:4;Jer 52:28-30;Jer 4:29; Jer 12:7; Rom 11:15

13But yet in it shall be a tenth, and it shall return, and shall be eaten: as a teil tree, and as an oak, whose substance is in them, when they cast their leaves: so the holy seed shall be the substance thereof.

God will have a remnant─ten percent will survive─this group will be scattered and serve a life sentence in slavery but like a tree that has been cut down the holy seed will survive and be planted again in the Promised Land.

CROSS REFERENCE SCRIPTURES THAT

SPEAK VOLUMES ABOUT THE TEXT:

Isa 1:9 Except the LORD of hosts had left unto us a very small remnant, we should have been as Sodom, and we should have been like unto Gomorrah. Read: Isa 10:20-22